Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has taken steps to keep the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit with the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group for an extended period of time in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
After the Hamas attacks in southern Israel, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) and its escorts have been in the Eastern Mediterranean since last week to send a deterrent, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters on Tuesday.
In May, Ford joined U.S. European Command’s Mediterranean Sea presence operations to prevent Russia from escalating the conflict in Ukraine. Before the extension, the Dwight D. Eisenhower CSG was supposed to relieve Ford and continue the mission of U.S. presence in the Mediterranean Sea. Both strike groups will now conduct operations in the Mediterranean. The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) and its escorts departed Norfolk on Saturday.
Austin said Saturday that the increases in U.S. force posture show the US’s unwavering commitment to Israel’s security and our resolve to deter any state or non-state actor seeking to escalate this war.
Singh said units of the 26th MEU would move closer to Israel.
USS Bataan (LHD-5) and USS Carter Hall (LSD-50) are operating in the Middle East, while USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19) is operating in the Mediterranean.
Mesa Verde could be in the Eastern Mediterranean within a couple of days, whereas Bataan and Carter Hall would need to sail through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, based on their Tuesday positions.
Along with the naval forces, Pentagon leaders have warned commanders to prepare 2,000 U.S. troops for deployment to the region to deter the conflict.
